


If You Only Live Once

by kitarin



Category: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 20:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitarin/pseuds/kitarin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BEWARE! Spoilers for the Finale!!</p>
<p>After an unusual meeting with Ucchi, King takes a very unique journey home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Only Live Once

**Author's Note:**

  * For [defeatedbyabridge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/defeatedbyabridge/gifts), [Ekala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekala/gifts), [hakaseheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hakaseheart/gifts), [lucybeetle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucybeetle/gifts), [psyco_chick32](https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyco_chick32/gifts).



> For my beloved team. With zero apologies for lyrics or Japanese.

King's body moves before his mind has time to process what's happening, turning his back to the sickly green Deboss blast, arms spread wide to protect. Pain sears through him, stealing his breath and his strength.

The world narrows into darkness and he's falling...

...forever and ever and ever...

 

**\---**

_o/~ I had a dream the other night  
About how we only get one life ~/o_

 

He never hits the ground.

Instead, when awareness finds him again, it's because his head is in someone's lap... a someone that's running gentle fingers through his hair. He recognizes the voice humming, recognizes the tune too...

“...Ucchi?” King asks as his eyes blink open, his own hand lifting to touch his friend's cheek in mild confusion.

“King-dono...” Ucchi answers softly, fingers still tenderly brushing the hair back from his beloved leader's face.

The space around them is soft and white, as if they're floating in the middle of a cloud, and King smiles back, feeling utterly relaxed. “This is nice...can we stay here awhile?”

Emotion flickers across Ucchi's face and he leans down, brushing a kiss first against King's forehead, then against his lips before answering. “I am most sorry, but _you_ cannot stay here.”

“I can't...?” King starts softly, eyebrows furrowing, but Ucchi stops him gently with one finger to his lips.

“Time is running out, my King-dono...”

“Time...?”

Gently helping King into a sitting position, Ucchi then takes both of his leader's hands in his own, squeezing them tightly as he implores seriously. “Don't you remember?”

“Remember...?

“Don't you have _promises_ to keep?”

The word echoes through him and King scrunches his face, trying to remember, his hand moving to the pocket inside his vest. “...strawberry parfait?”

Ucchi nods several times in quick succession, swallowing hard. This may be the last time they see each other, but if King doesn't go now, then there will be no hope for any of them. For the Earth. “You _must_ keep your promises, King-dono,” he says firmly, pulling his hands free and placing them on King's shoulders. “Promise me de gozaru.”

“Promise... to keep my promises?” King grins and then nods, lifting his fingers in a familiar V, but before he can say anything else, Ucchi is shoving him, _hard._

  
_o/~ But you're like the net under the ledge_   
_When I go flying off the edge_   
_You go flying off as well ~/o_

 

**_\---_ **

 

When King wakes again, the world is darker and muddled and he can feel the pain of the burns across his back, but Amy is shaking him lightly and he tries to focus on her words, tries not to think of what it meant to meet Ucchi in that place.

He tosses her from the Frozen Castle, to keep her safe, because this time, there can be no distractions.

This time, he _must_ do it alone.

This time, it _must_ be the finale.

“I'm here to take you down, Deboss!”

And the melody of the Earth, the song of everything that is goodness and light and love and luck in the world, rises up to give him golden wings.

It's the song that Ucchi was humming.

Everything is fire and smoke, bravery and victory, as Minityra hops up into King's arms and he sinks to his knees in relief.

It's over now.

**\---**

_o/~ You got something I need_  
 _Yeah in this world full of people there's one killing me  
_ _And if we only die once, I wanna die with you ~/o_

_~ This melody... is this your power? ~_

Ucchi's eyes flutter open, his heartbeat thrumming in time with the music, and reality comes crashing over him like a tidal wave.

But this isn't how it's supposed to be.

Dantetsu nearly drags him from the Spirit Base and he has almost no idea what's going on, because he was in the forest, and everything was ending... _Perfect_...

But this is not perfect.

_It should be all of us here together!_

Face turned to the sky as the explosion, even from space, colors everything red – the ultimate victory and King's not here to see it.

But... it should be... _King_ here, and Ucchi... _there_.

Amy-dono is screaming his name. His friends are crying.

His heart is breaking.

_Oyakata-sama... King-dono..._

Has he failed his very most important duty... again?

It _can't_ end like this.

 

**_\---_ **

_o/~ Last night I think I drank too much_  
 _Call it our temporary crutch_  
 _With broken words I've tried to say_  
 _Honey don't you be afraid  
_ _If we got nothing we got us ~/o_

 

Two days after the almost-end of the world finds Ian and Nossan sitting cross-legged in the grass of his backyard as they pass a bottle back and forth, ignoring tears, staring up at the clear and starry sky in silence.

They don't speak of any of it, the relief or the gratitude, the sadness or the fear, Amy's tears or Souji's anger or Ucchi's quiet....

Neither one can give up hope that King and the dinosaurs are out there somewhere...

_He promised me that he wasn't going to die first..._

_...the feelings we entrusted King with, and our bravey, will keep him safe._

...but the batteries remain eerily empty, and so do their hearts.

It _can't_ end like this.

 

**_\---_ **

_You must keep your promises, King-dono._

Minityra bites his ear and King starts awake, sitting up abruptly.

“Ucchi?” he calls out into the white void, confused when no answer comes.

“Alone...?”

Again.

Too much wandering alone.

A growl draws his attention and he smiles, holding out a hand for Minityra to chomp on.

“Heh, sorry, Minityra...”

No, definitely _not_ totally alone this time.

“But why isn't Ucchi here waiting this time...?” Climbing easily to his feet, King turns in a slow circle, but the white stretches out into infinity on every side of him. Minityra bounces at his feet and King shrugs, answering him. “You think we should start walking? Even if we don't know where we're going?" 

But he trusts Minityra. His path is one with the dinosaurs, and if Minityra wants to go, then they'll go together.

Finally taking a step forward, King watches as red radiates from around where his foot lands, spiraling out in front of him.

Images of memories, like a rapid-fire slideshow of the past, flicker to life as he walks, following Minityra as he trots assuredly along.

_Please, don't act like you understand!_

_My family are my one weakness! And the thought of anything happening to them haunts me! How could you understand that, if all you've done is wander around the world by yourself?!_

King pauses to watch the frustrated de-henshin of his blue, remembering all too clearly how Nossan's words had dug into him at the time.

“The only one who doesn't believe in your strength is you!” he recalls his own words, then smiles as the scene changes.

_This power... yeah, he was right! My family isn't my weakness... they're the source of my strength! I'm going to fight... to protect the people I love!_

“Because we're a _team_...” King nods, grinning again when his voice echoes out around where they stand, coloring the sky above his head blue as the image of Nobu nods vigorously at him. “And the team... _is_ my family....”

_I guess this king likes to delegate, much to my chagrin..._

Another voice calls out behind him and King whirls around in time to see Souji's blade flash, quick and sure.

“Souji...”

There had been so much doubt in his eyes and in his heart in the beginning, but King had understood, had believed in him anyway.

_My friends showed me the way..._

“Because we're a _team_ ,” King says again, and as he speaks, as Souji's blade points the way forward, the ground brightens with green grass and trees spring up around them.

The void is less of a void now and Minityra chirrups excitedly, bouncing along a little faster, and King jogs to keep up with him as the images flicker and change again.

_But if you die before I do, I'll kill you, King._

His heart thumps hard as he jerks to a stop, and as he closes his eyes for a moment, he can almost feel Ian's arms catching him as he falls forward. He had never had any doubt that ian would save him that day.

“Like I said, we're a _team_ now! If we die, we die together.” King swallows hard, remembering his important promise like a perfectly aimed shot to the heart, and when he opens his eyes, his breath catches in his throat.

Flowers litter the grass as far as his eyes can see, reds and violets on hills rolling into the distance. A happy laugh escapes him like a bubble on the breeze. “But that's not happening anyway!”

_You must keep your promises, King-dono._

Ucchi's words echo again, louder this time, buoyed now by King's own memories.

His steps are more certain now, trekking through the green fields of flowers under the blue sky, only coming to a stop again when another voice stops him in his tracks.

_Why do you go to such lengths to waste my efforts? I sought to save you from the fate that befell my lord!_

King's face blooms in an enormous smile as he calls out loudly. “If you keep yapping about that stuff, I'm seriously going to kick your butt! I'm _me_ , not your lord. And my teammates are not my retainers. I see all of you as my friends.”

There's a heartbeat of silence and then the sun bursts forth, illuminating the path they've been unknowingly traveling and the cobblestones under his feet glitter like gold.

_Friends... Indeed, you are correct! Milord is milord... and King-dono is King-dono. And you, King-dono, are my friend! Perhaps that's how it should have been from the start!_

“That's the way it's _always_ been, Ucchi...”

He's running now, racing along the golden path through the field of flowers as fast as his feet can carry him, laughing joyously under the wide sky with Minityra riding on his shoulder instead.

They're almost there – he can _feel_ it now... he can _hear_ the music.

_Idiot – you're the one who was crazy! You can't risk your life when you're the one who has to fire the last attack. King is my precious King and I just wanted to protect you._

“I'm the same. I want to protect the things that are precious to me.”

Reaching into his pocket, King pulls out the tattered paper, tracing one finger lightly over the strawberry parfait before smiling at Amy's tear-stained face. “My team... my family... my friends... that which is most precious to me.”

_You must keep your promises, King-dono._

The words wash over him like an echo, again and again, until he feels dizzy with their message.

_You must keep your promises, King-dono._

“Even though we're all different... in some way, we really are all... the same too, aren't we...”

Amy nods and smiles at him as the world spins around them, growing brighter and brighter until...

 

_o/~ I know that we're not the same_  
 _But I'm so damn glad that we made it  
_ _To this time, this time, around, yeah ~/o_

**\---**

 

The Earth viewed from space is more magnificent than any sight King could ever imagine, until he's standing on the beach and the smiles of his friends are even more brilliant.

“I said it before, didn't I? We're a team! If we die, we die together! And that's not happening!”

_  
o/~ If we only live once I wanna live with you ~/o_

 

**_\---_ **

 

“King-dono...” Ucchi settles himself down carefully beside King, folding his hands into his lap.

King watches the rest of his team laughing and sharing ice cream parfaits around their beach bonfire, the sparks crackling upwards to where the sun's descending over the lake, coloring the evening sky with red and gold.

“Ucchi...?” he asks warmly, leaning back on both hands in the sand as he turns his head to the side, smiling at his friend.

“Do you remember...” Ucchi starts softly, knowing before asking, but needing to ask anyway. “A moment...?”

Leaning closer, King brushes his lips against Ucchi's as an answer. “Thank you, Ucchi... for reminding me to keep my promises.”


End file.
